Introduction

This proposal consists in an open source UML & SysML graphical editor under the Eclipse Modeling Tools. It is in the Project Proposal Phase (as defined in the Eclipse Development Process document) and is written to declare its intent and scope. This proposal is written to solicit additional participation and input from the Eclipse community. You are invited to comment on and/or join the project. Please send all feedback to the Modeling Tools newsgroup.

The initial contribution pdf document will be soon available [here].

Background

Standardized by the Object Management Group, the Unified Modeling Language, or UML, is today one of the most generalist modeling language for software development. All over the world, numerous industrial and research projects are already using it, and it is taught in most computer sciences schools and universities. SysML represents a symmetrical effort for system engineering, even if the language itself is a little younger. Together, those two languages regroup a huge and global user community.

If some UML tools are mature enough for industrial use, almost none of them are distributed under open source licenses. This situation raises some tools durability and control problems for industrialists. Research projects are also impacted, as most proprietary products do not allow them to study their internals, to modify or to extend them easily. The Eclipse platform is therefore a first choice platform to develop such tools, due to its existing generic and UML modeling components, its licensing schema and its modeling community.

For instance Eclipse platform offers powerful frameworks (already extended to UML) like EMF, EMF Search, EMF Compare components, GMF, and some already developed UML diagrams editors. UML tools project would take a major advantage to be built and integrated with these components as it would dramatically speed up the UML & SysML tools development and keep its architecture modular. This project would therefore become a focal point with respect to UML & SysML. As Topcased, Papyrus & Moskitt open source modeling projects contributors and in an effort to optimize development forces on EMF modeling space, we would like to contribute some of our existing features to Eclipse modeling project. Among these features, UML & SysML graphical editor come as our top priority. This collaboration/merge takes place in our long term strategy, aiming to optimize development resources on EMF modeling space and improve modeling tools.

Open, to support diagram editors developed with different technologies

Scope

This project will provide the glue around valuable UML & SysML diagram editors (GMF based or not) and other MDE tools. It will also offer support for UML & SysML profiling mechanisms.

For each type of diagrams, we will consider the existing editors, and will integrate the best available, as far as the consistency of the product is saved (licensing, concepts, look & feel, etc.). For example, the editors of the current MDT UML Tools project, aiming to extensively generate independent UML diagram editors using GMF, will be therefore reused when it makes sense. Of course, some diagram editors will have to be specifically developed, as no satisfying alternative exists (timing diagram for example). As we intend to use GMF each time it will be the best solution, we will also contribute to its development and improvement.

At last, the architecture of this project will be open, allowing end users to extend or modify it easily.

In brief, this project intends to be a focal point for UML & SysML, providing an integration and extension means for:

diagrams editors

profiles design and support mechanisms

generic modeling tools (search, validate, etc.)

UML & SysML Tools features are organized into different topics:

Diagram editors

Diagram editors integration

EMF Search integration

EMF Validation integration

The primary focus will be completeness w.r.t. both UML & SysML support, and their profile mechanism, support for collaborative work, capability to be included in qualified industrial process.

Our second focus is about solution flexibility & openness, that should allow diagram extensibility, so that we can complete diagrams in an iterative way. The GUI of the project will be customizable, in order to define for example new palettes, properties views or also new specific outlines. All these customizations will be defined in the context of a UML & SysML profile design.

Relationship with Other Eclipse Projects/Components

Organization

Initial Committers

The initial committers will initially focus on providing an open, well documented API and framework. Our agile development process will follow eclipse.org's standards for openness and transparency. Our goal is to provide the infrastructure and APIs needed to allow the integration/generation of additional diagram editors. We also plan to help improving the Eclipse platform by submitting patches and extension point suggestions. The initial team will consist of several part-time resources.

Project Leadership Candidatures

Javier Muñoz (Integranova) : Javier is a projects manager in Integranova. He is technically leading the MOSKitt project (http://www.moskitt.org), which aims to develop an Eclipse-based free case tool. Javier is finishing his Phd in the Technical University of Valencia, which proposes a model driven method with code generation capabilities for the development of pervasive systems.

Sébastien Gérard (CEA LIST) : Sébastien is leading the Accord research team (investigating MDD for Distributing, Real-Time and Embedded systems development) of the Laboratory of Model Drive Engineering for Embedded Systems (LISE) of the CEA LIST. He is the initiator and leader of the initial Papyrus project. As the CEA representative at OMG, he is an active contributor to OMG specifications (especially on UML, SysML and MARTE which he is the FTF chair).

Raphaël Faudou (ATOS Origin) : Experienced software architect, Raphaël is in charge of innovation and method definition for Atos Origin Toulouse (France). He is the representative of Atos Origin for the TOPCASED project (http://www.topcased.org) and is very active in the field of the Model driven engineering.

Committers

Thibault Landré (ATOS Origin)

Chokri Mraidha (CEA LIST)

Rémi Schnekenburger (CEA LIST)

David Servat (CEA LIST)

Yann Tanguy (CEA LIST)

Patrick Tessier (CEA LIST)

Gabriel Merin (Integranova)

Cédric Dumoulin (LIFL)

Etienne Juliot (Obeo)

Javier Cano (Prodevelop)

Contributors

Sébastien Gabel (CS)

TBD (Anyware Technologies)

Code Contributions

We propose sources under EPL for initial contribution. This initial contribution consists in a open framework, allowing to integrate diagram editors independently of their implementation technology, and in some diagram editors.

Developer Community

User Community

The software and system engineering community (in particular in America and Europe) will be the primary user base. Today, 10% of industrial projects are using UML and this is constantly increasing. Concerning SysML, the market is at the beginning but very promising. In this context, an open source full featured UML & SysML editor will probably be welcome.